the two previous movie series of Spider-Man always had it that Spidey was a Big Hit with the citizens of nyc in spite of the negative press/police departments actively hunting him down but we haven’t really seen anything like that in the mcu past Peter’s classmates simply being aware that Spider-Man is a hero who exists, like we didn’t see any slandering articles or angry officers which is WEIRD considering the canonical climate about superheros in the mcu right now so like….I really hope it carries over into this third series because frankly I love the idea of everyone in a post-accords world in constant debate about superheroes like ‘should they be held accountable for casualties’ and ‘does it make sense to give all this power to just a few people and force them to make potentially catastrophic situations’ and ‘do we even truly Need superheroes’ like any and all debate they can think of but at the same time, all the citizens in New York are collectively like ‘Yeah….but we’re gonna leave the Spider-Boy out of this….he just wants to help out….he’s doing his Best..’ lmao
The Entire City Of New York: after all the danger we’ve been placed in since these superheroes started popping up, since the Avenger’s set up a headquarters here- we’re sick of it. superheroes only prevent problems that they create in the first place and cause millions in damages doing it. we want our city to be safe!
Also The Entire City Of New York: we’ve only had Spider-Man for a year and a half but if anything ever happened to him we would kill everyone on this planet and then ourselves
J. Jonah Jameson: writes a scathing article about the ‘spider menace’ ‘terrorizing’ Queens and campaigns for his arrest and imprisonment alongside other ‘mutant menaces’
That Nice Old Lady that bought Peter a churro: *barges into the Daily Bugle office swinging her handbag with deadly force*
Citizens of New York City: fuck the avengers!!
The Rest Of The World: you do realize that your Spider-Man has been spotted helping the Avengers on multiple occasions and many believe him to be an honorable member of the team?
Im aware that if everything else in the MCU were the same, and Nat and Bucky had one simple ordinary-looking conversation between them, I would feel a lot different.
A huge part of my response right now is that my puzzler brain sees an unresolved puzzle. They havent had a conversation or made eye contact onscreen, with him in his right mind. This is odd by itself, but after multiple movies chock full of references and set up to a backstory, its really suspicious. Theyve opened a door, and not used it… but they havent closed it either.
Steve has three close friends in this world. When it comes to those three friends relating to each other, two sides of that triangle are pretty full. Sam and Nat have seamlessly worked togther for years. Sam and Bucky have such immediate chemistry to their distaste for each other that their banter is a highlight of CW for a lot of people. Some audiences are clamoring for a buddy movie starring Steve’s two friends who hate each other.
The third side of this triangle is just inexplicably empty, and has been for years now. Nat and Bucky are kept apart, ALL the time, for no clear reason? They havent been allowed the simplest most casual conversation or eye contact. Oh they stood next to each other once, in all this time. And no talking or peripheral vision was allowed in that moment it seems. Despite being two people critically important to Steve – despite frequenting the same Steve orbit – they havent looked at or talked to each other onscreen since Bucky regained himself. This absence is WEIRD and its only gotten weirder as time has passed.
If we had ever gotten that, I would be less suspicious. With an ordinary looking conversation, I would have let go of some expectations. If there had been a single simple exchange in all of Wakanda. If there had been some interaction in front of the Quinjet. If there had been any tiny moment of colleagueship written into either CW or IW. Any simple ordinary quick interaction over any mundane subject between two people who seemingly shouldnt have anything more between them than Sam and Bucky do.
Thats another layer of this. Sam-Bucky banter is a fan favorite. Most fans have thrilled at Sam grousing at Bucky. You’re telling me they couldnt think up anything entertaining that an even harder friend of Steve’s could say to Bucky? Or anything more supportive that could come from someone whos actually been brainwashed? Or anything *angrier* from someones Buckys injured far more than Sam? This content is sitting there in plain view, repeatedly untouched. Or avoided.
This is not an ordinary lack of content. This is why Im suspicious. I believe people are framing the timing issue all wrong, thinking that this wait lessens the probability of a backstory. THIS is the more suspicious timing to me… not that we havent gotten a reveal yet, but that we’ve come this far and the door to a reveal they first set up in CATWS – in 2014, four years ago – is still wide, wide open. This is whats missing. It would take so little to move on from this – it would take the tiniest moments to close that door and they havent yet. Until I see this, Im gonna wonder. Maybe it comes in A4, and there’s nothing there. But I am suspicious that theyve waited this long to do it.
Wide Spread Interests 